Dislodging and disintegrating mechanism for a continuous miner



w O m J. D. RUSSELL FOR A CONTINUOUS MINER Original Filed Aug. 29, 1950 DISLODCING AND DISINTEGRATING MECHANISM Sept. A17, 1957 r x 2,806,683 Ice Patented sept. 17, 1957V DSLDGENG AND DlSlNTEGRATING MECH- ANISM FR A CNTINUOUS MINER .lohn l). Russell, Eradfordwoods, Pa., assignor to Joy Manufacturing Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Griginal application August 29, 1950, Serial No. 181,977, new Patent No. 2,781,187, dated February 12, 1957. Divided and this application March 13, 1956, Serial No. 571,292

4 Claims. (Cl. 262-,29)

This invention relates to continuous miners for dislodging and disintegrating the mineral of a solid mine vein and more particularly to the material disintegratng mechanism of such machines.

This application is a division of my copending appli- Patent No. 2,781,187 wherein there is disclosed a continuous miner having a disintegrating mechanism pivoted to swing in vertical planes for dislodging and disintegrating the mineral of a solid mine vein. This disintegrating mechanism is in the form of a frame along the sides of which are caused to circulate in elongated, like vertical orbits disintegrating element-carrying chains which at the forward end of the frame drive rotary disintegrating devices or annular chain sections carrying disintegrating elements which move in circular orbits parallel with and between the orbitsof the side chains. The present invention contemplates improvements over known types of material disintegrating mechanisms in that the disintegrating elements of the intermediate rotary devices or annular chain sections are relatively loosely mounted so that a vibratory action is set up during the disintegrating operation to aid in the detachment of the mineral. In the present invention the disintegrating elements of the rotary devices have substantial lateral freedom of movement whereby such element of vibration is afforded.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved disintegrating mechanism. Another object of the invention is to provide an improved disintegrating mechanism of the rotary type having improved mounting means for rotary disintegrating elements whereby the mineral is more effectively dislodged from the solid vein. A further object is to provide improved mounting means for the rotary disintegrating elements providing for substantial lateral fredom of movement thereof thereby to set up a vibratory action which aids materially in the dislodgement and disintegration of the mineral. Other objects and advantages of the invention will subsequently appear.

ln the accompanying drawings, in which one illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown for purposes of illustration Fig. 1 is a plan view of a material disintegrating mechanism in which an illustrative form of the invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

`Fig.`3 isa fragmentary transverse vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken on the same plane as Fig. 2, showing details of the mounting of a disintegrating element;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken on the same plane as Fig. 3, showing details of the mounting of a disintegrating element; and

Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

- cation Serial No. 181,977, filed August 29, 1950, now v 2 Referring to the drawings, there will be noted at 1 a mobile support of a well known form of continuous miner such as is disclosed in my copendng application Serial No. 102,995, now Patent No. 2,798,714, dated luly 9, 1957, and in other applications mentioned therein. The support 1 has pivotally mounted thereon my improved disintegrating mechanism generally designated 2, the latter swinging in vertical planes about a horizontal transverse axis at 3 (Fig. 2). The disintegrating mechanism 2 comprises side frames or bars 4 iiXedly connected together in parallel Vertical relation by transversely extending upper and lower deck plates 5 and 6. These deck plates are welded to the side bars and are reinforced by transverse angle-like elements 7 likewise welded to the side bars, and the deck plates are connected at their forward ends by an arcuate plate 8 and at their rearward ends by tubular housings 9. The side bars 4 provide guideways about their margins in which endless disintegrating chains 10 are guidedA for circulation. A Hight conveyor 12, of the center-chain type, is adapted to be circulated over the upper deck plate 5 and beneath the lower deck plate 6 and comprises an endlessl chain 13 having spaced ilights 14 secured to it. The endless conveyor chain is guided at its forward end portion by a guide roller 15 and at its rearward portion passes around a chain sprocket 16 disposed between the tubular `housings 9 (Fig. 6) and driven by a transverse shaft 17 coaxial with the pivot 3 of the disintegrating mechanism. Also secured to and driven by the shaft 17 are chain sprockets 18 which engage and drive the endless side disintegrating chains 10.

At the forward end of the disintegrating mechanism a cross shaft 19 extends between the side bars 4 and is attached at its ends at 20 to the side bars and this shaft rotatably supports, as by bearings 21, and is surrounded by, a hollow drum-like shaft or drum device 22. This hollow shaft is herein shown as carrying suitably laterally spaced sprocket portions 23, and as having xed to it at its ends, as at 24, chain sprockets 25 about which the endless side chains 1@ pass. By this arrangement, the side chains lll constitute driving means for the sprockets 2S which in turn drive the sprocket portions 23 on the tubular drum-like shaft 22. The several sprocket portions 23 have sprocket teeth 26 and each of these sprocket portions has a continuous loop L or annular disintegrating chain section around it and held in position on it only by the loose engagement of the teeth 26 in the spaces between the ends of adjacent connecting links 27 and between the side anges or portions 28 of disintegrating element-carrying links or blocks 29. These latter links carry replaceable disintegrating elements or bits 30. Pivot pins 31 connect the blocks 29 with the connecting links 27. The side anges 28 of the blocks 29 are spaced somewhat more widely than the thickness, transversely, of the sprocket teeth 26, and the'circumferential thickness of the sprocket teeth 26 is less than the distance between the adjacent ends of the connecting links 27. The overall length of the annular chain sections or chain loops L, measured along a circle passing through the axes of the pivot pins 31, also slightly exceeds the circumference of the pitch circle of the sprocket portions 23. Thus the disintegrating elements 30 held in the lugged blocks 29 arerfree to move laterally and also slightly in radial directions and to follow the easiest paths in the mineraly being dislodged.

The endless side chains which drive the rotary intermediate looped or annular chain sections Iare of the conventional lugged block, connected link type and comprise disintegrating element-carrying lugged blocks 33 connected by connecting links 34 through pivot pins 35, and the blocks 33 carry replaceable disintegrating elements or bits 36 similar to the disintegrating elements 30 of the i intermediate rotary looped chain sections.

A deiiector device 37 extending between and secured to the side bars 4 (Figs. l and 2) serves to deliect the dislodged mineral from the intermediate rotary chain sections Iand to direct the loose mineral rearwardly toward the conveyor and the latter serves to convey the disintegrated mineral rearwardly between the side bar portions of the disintegrating mechanism to discharge onto a deiiector plate 38 which directs the loose mineral in a rearward direction.

The disintegrating mechanism may be swung upwardly about its pivot 3 by a swinging mechanism such as is shown in my copending application Serial No. 139,631, filedv January 20, 1950, now abandoned, and which includes chain sections 39 and cylinder and piston mechanisms 40 mounted on the, outer sides of the side bars 4', and other devices not herein illustrated but fully disclosed in said application.

From the foregoing description, the mode of operation of the illustrative embodiment of the invention will be understood. The shaft 17 is suitably driven and accordingly the drive sprockets 18 are rotated and these cause the disintegrating chains to be circulated orbitally along the guideways of the side bars 4. The circulation of these side disintegrating chains eiiects rotation of the sprockets 2S, and accordingly, the tubular drum-like drive shaft 22 is rotated, turning with it the several sprocket portions 23. These are chain wrapped, as above explained, and, accordingly, the continuous loops of chains or annular chain sections which are carried by the sprocket portions 23 are caused, as it were, to circulate in orbits surrounding the axis of the shaft 19, all of the chains-the side chains 10 .and the (herein four) chain loops L-cooperate in the removal, during the disintegrating operation, of a vertical segment of mineral from the face of the mine vein between the floor and roof of the mine and as the disintegrating mechanism is swung upwardly `about its pivot the disintegrating elements of the endless side chains and the intermediate rotary chain sections or chain loops L cooperate to tear off the mineral which they engage. The mineral torn loose and brought out by the intermediate chain sections is deflected by the deiiector device 37 toward the conveyor 12 while mineral torn loose by the side chains is conveyed rearwardly along their top runs and is deflected by the defiector plate 38 in a rearward direction. Because of the nature of the support of the chain loops or intermediate chain sections L by the sprocket portions 23, it will be appreciated that there may be a substantial free lateral motion of the disintegrating elements 30. These may thus, to an extent, choose their paths, within comparatively narrow limits, with the result that at times they may seek the paths of least resistance, While at other times they will, through engagement with relatively large masses of undetached solid mineral, tend to remove pieces of larger size than would be removed if the bits or disintegrating elements were confined relatively rigidly to predetermined paths.

It will be noted that the disintegrating elements 30 on on the chain loops or intermediate chain sections L, and on the endless side disintegrating chains 10, are arranged in suitable lacings so that they cumulatively remove the mineral over a width equal to the full width of the forward portion of the disintegrating mechanism.

in addition to the other advantages mentioned of the loose support of the chain loops or intermediate chain sections L on the sprocket portions 23, it will be appreciated that the increased range for vibratory movement of the bits carried by the loops L will promote the desired dislodging and disintegrating operation. It will be understood that this looseness is not only a lateral looseness, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, but also that there is a degree of looseness in a direction circumferentially of the sprocket portions 23, which permits not only a certain amount of play between the chain loops L and the sprocket portions 23 circumferentially of the latter, but also a slight radial capacity for movement on the part of the elements 30.

As a result of this linvention .an improved dislodging and disintegrating mechanism for a continuous miner is provided whereby mineral of a solid mine vein is more effectively removed. By the provision of the relatively loose mountings for the intermediate chain sections a substantial vibratory action is set up which aids in the dislodgement or" the mineral. The improved intermediate chain loops or sections, their loose mountings, and their associated parts are relatively simple and rugged in design, well adapted to meet the severe conditions encountered in the removal of mineral from the solid. Other advantages of the invention will be clearly apparent to those skilled in the art.

While there is in thisapplication specifically described one form which the invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this form of the same is shown for purposes of illustration, and that the invention may be modified and embodied in Various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a material-dislodging and disintegrating apparatus, the combination comprising a rotary member having a circular rim portion provided with spaced radial luglike projections, and an annular endless chain section extending about said rim portion of said member and provided with spaced cutters, said chain having links loosely engaging said projections to vprovide substantial circumferential play between said chain section and said rim portion to cause impacts to be imparted to the cutters during the dislodging and disintegrating operation.

2. A combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein a limited lateral play is provided between said chain section and said rim portion of said rotary member, said projections having loose lateral engagement with said chain links to provide limited lateral movement of the cutters during the dislodging and disintegrating operation.

3. A combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said luglike projections are in the form of sprocket teeth, there being clearances between the front and rear faces of said teeth and said chain links to provide for such limited circumferential movement of said chain section relative to the rim portion of said rotary member. f

4. A combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein said luglike projections are in the form of sprocket teeth, there being clearances between the sides of said teeth and said chain links to provide for such limited lateral movement of said chain section relative to the rim portion of said rotary member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

